


Turning Points

by musicaldaydreamer



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, I just rewatched episode 10, surprisingly free of angst, these gay baby angels, these two are killing me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 19:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7982686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicaldaydreamer/pseuds/musicaldaydreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chika Takami always said that the day she discovered school idols was the turning point in her life. And it was... but it wasn't her only one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turning Points

Chika always said that the day she discovered school idols was the best day of her life. In many ways, it was. She had never known that ordinary schoolgirls could be so dazzling, could shine diamond-bright both on the stage and through their songs. It was a magical moment, like a lightning strike.  
It was love at first sight.

Chika always said that was her turning point. But she knew that really, it was only the first.

The second was the moment she tried to rescue someone from the freezing spring ocean, and instead nearly drowned them both.  
She had acted on impulse, of course. Most of what Chika had done all her life had been done impulsively. Her first feelings when they fell in the ocean were of shock and then, as they hurried to shore, of shame, but the gentle manner of Riko Sakurauchi quickly cheered her up. Conversation flowed easily between the two, perhaps helped by their shared embarrassment, and Chika found herself quite comfortable. She learned that Riko was an out-of-towner and a second-year, like herself, and that she played the piano. Chika wasn't surprised to hear that, somehow. Even sopping wet and huddled on the seashore, Riko had a certain grace about her.

Somehow it reminded Chika of the school idols. She had to ask Riko if she knew of them, and when Riko said she had never heard of any, Chika launched into an excited explanation. Riko listened patiently, a small smile on her face, as Chika told her all about μ's- and how could she never have heard of them, when she went to the same school!? Riko just smiled more, and thanked Chika for inspiring her. When the two had finally dried off, they parted ways, but Chika stared a while after the strange girl. She might not be bold or dazzling like a school idol, but Riko was captivating in her own way. Her smile made Chika feel comfortable and warm- and that way of setting people at ease, Chika found, was something she wanted to do, as a school idol. She left the beach with new resolve. She would not let the student council president stand in the way of her dreams.  
She didn't tell You about meeting Riko at the beach. She held their meeting as one of fate's mysteries, a chance encounter between friendly souls before they went their separate ways. But when she saw Riko, hair shining in the bright school lights, shy smile on her face, Chika felt her face break into a grin.  
"Riko-chan! Will you be a school idol with me?"

It wasn't that easy, of course. As she got to know Riko, she saw that the girl's world was not nearly so serene as it had seemed when they met. Her own love, the piano, had seemingly become out of reach, and Riko was determined to find it again. And the more Chika saw of this, the more determined she was that Riko should be happy again. It just wasn't right that this vibrant girl should be so sweet and yet so sad. In the end, Riko agreeing to become a school idol was just a bonus. What really brought her joy was hearing the beautiful voice from across the balcony, and the look on Riko's face as Chika told her it was all right to become an idol for her own reasons.

Time passed, but Riko never became any less dazzling. The more Chika knew of Riko, the more she loved her- and if that love had progressed from a friendly affection to something else, well, it didn't matter very much to Chika. She knew Riko liked her; she'd proven that time and again. And as long as she would spend time with Chika, Chika didn't mind if the other girl's feelings didn't mirror hers exactly. She had her friendship, had their moonlight talks, and that was enough. (And if they did mirror hers- that would be wonderful, but the potential for rejection was much more than she was willing to risk.)

Still, Chika could never bring herself to be anything less than honest with herself. The line she dared not cross grew thinner and thinner every day, but it still came as a bit of a surprise when she fully realized how much Riko mattered to her- mattered even more than school idols, even more than Love Live! It was when she heard Riko's song that did it. That song was Riko- every note of it echoed with her beautiful spirit. And Chika knew, then, she couldn't let Riko give up her dreams- not for Uranohoshi, not for Aqours or even for her. Not without acknowledging how much those dreams meant to her.  
She took Riko's hands, as she had so many times, and she felt that line get thinner the way it always did when they looked into each other's eyes.  
"I love you."  
The line snapped. Chika felt her eyes well up again, felt Riko squeeze her hands tighter, felt her knees wobble as Riko smiled that warm, beautiful smile. Chika could only manage a wobbly grin of her own as her heart swelled up in her chest, but Riko understood. Probably she always had. They took a step closer together-

Chika always said that the day she discovered school idols was the best day of her life. But really, it was only the second best.  
The real best day of her life was when she first kissed Riko Sakurauchi.


End file.
